The ancient city of Persepolis was inhabited by kings like Darius who strove to bring peace and harmony between the many cultures that became part of the Persian Empire. Enemies of the Persian Empire like Greece criticized the diversity and acceptance, claiming that the Persians were almost barbaric for losing focus of their own culture. Darius, however, often said that he desired a common world for all people to live in harmony, and portrayed his subjects as loyal and prosperous people who gave him gifts, not chained slaves.
Shah
The Shah in Iran is the equivalent of a king. The last Shah was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled Iran from 1941 to 1979, when he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution. Prior to becoming exiled, Pahlavi broadened his country's education, but the sudden increase of educated individuals could not be supported by the labor market so unemployment rates rose for literate individuals. Many of the revolutionaries were literate students who could not find jobs.
Martyrs
In Iran, martyrs are given special burial ceremonies and respect. The families of martyrs are given the opportunity to find a higher social status. During the revolution, many became martyrs as revolutionary leaders praised martyrdom. On 8 September 1978, there was a large massacre known as Black Friday of protesters opposing the Shah in Jaleh Square. The people were protesting in hopes of making Ruhollah Khomeini the new leader of Iran. He was a religious leader who played a primary role in the revolution.
Ruhollah Khomeini
Khomeini was a leader who opposed the rule of the Shah. He promised that as the first Supreme Leader he would create a government which could not be interfered with by priests and which would be ruled by elected officers. Instead, he radicalized the government and implemented Sharia. He promised free infrastructure, heating systems, and telephones to the Iranian people but only delivered more restrictions. He utilized the popularity of a socialist philosophy in an unemplyed population to futrther his own interests and become a tyrant who used his religious influence to order the assassination of political enemies. Salman Rushdie was the author of The Satanic Verses, which insulted Islam in Khomeini's opinion, and his orders resulted in the death or injuries of some of the translators. Khomeini ruled Iran from
3 December 1979 to 3 June 1989.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The president of Iran from 3 August 2005 to 3 August 2013 was similar to Ruhollah Khomeini in respect to many of his policies, but gave more freedoms to his people. Ahmadinejad shut down protesters, but he did not do so with violence, and most of the restrictions were set by his subordinates. During his rule, Iran lowered its unemployment rates and increased its wealth. Ahmadinejad used a large portion of the oil wealth to create funding for the Iranian youth to join society's expensive traditions. He was worried due to the increasing ages of young citizens buying homes and marrying. He pushed to lower the ages required along with the monetary support.
Islamic Fundamentalism and Its Effects on Iranian Women and Youth
Iran began its involvement with Islamic fundamentalism with Ruhollah Khomeini. The most important law became Sharia, which had not previously been implemented. Women were forced to begin donning the hijab in 1979. The culture became dominated by religious leaders who changed the relative equality that existed in the country. President Ahmadinejad, in an effort to increase his country's population, legalized polygamy without the consent of previous wives, which lowered the social standing of Iranian women even more. More than sixty percent of Iranians are under the age of thirty, and the youth play a large role in society. The youth constantly protested throughout the years despite the change in government in 1979. A large problem that Iranian youth are dealing with is the high unemployment rate, but other problems include the restrictions set by Shariah. The separation of the genders has caused tension, and drug use is also a large problem in Iran. The hostage crisis from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981 was caused by large numbers of unemployed youth trying to make the United States turn over oil profits along with the Shah, who sought asylum in America. A woman cut the chains that closed the embassy gates, but after the 1979 revolution, women were given much fewer freedoms, and it is ironic that few of the students and young adults that were revolting knew how much freedom they would lose from the new fundamentalist government.
Persepolis
Table of Contents
History
The ancient city of Persepolis was inhabited by kings like Darius who strove to bring peace and harmony between the many cultures that became part of the Persian Empire. Enemies of the Persian Empire like Greece criticized the diversity and acceptance, claiming that the Persians were almost barbaric for losing focus of their own culture. Darius, however, often said that he desired a common world for all people to live in harmony, and portrayed his subjects as loyal and prosperous people who gave him gifts, not chained slaves.
The Shah in Iran is the equivalent of a king. The last Shah was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled Iran from 1941 to 1979, when he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution. Prior to becoming exiled, Pahlavi broadened his country's education, but the sudden increase of educated individuals could not be supported by the labor market so unemployment rates rose for literate individuals. Many of the revolutionaries were literate students who could not find jobs.
Martyrs
In Iran, martyrs are given special burial ceremonies and respect. The families of martyrs are given the opportunity to find a higher social status. During the revolution, many became martyrs as revolutionary leaders praised martyrdom. On 8 September 1978, there was a large massacre known as Black Friday of protesters opposing the Shah in Jaleh Square. The people were protesting in hopes of making Ruhollah Khomeini the new leader of Iran. He was a religious leader who played a primary role in the revolution.
Ruhollah Khomeini
Khomeini was a leader who opposed the rule of the Shah. He promised that as the first Supreme Leader he would create a government which could not be interfered with by priests and which would be ruled by elected officers. Instead, he radicalized the government and implemented Sharia. He promised free infrastructure, heating systems, and telephones to the Iranian people but only delivered more restrictions. He utilized the popularity of a socialist philosophy in an unemplyed population to futrther his own interests and become a tyrant who used his religious influence to order the assassination of political enemies. Salman Rushdie was the author of The Satanic Verses, which insulted Islam in Khomeini's opinion, and his orders resulted in the death or injuries of some of the translators. Khomeini ruled Iran from
3 December 1979 to 3 June 1989.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The president of Iran from 3 August 2005 to 3 August 2013 was similar to Ruhollah Khomeini in respect to many of his policies, but gave more freedoms to his people. Ahmadinejad shut down protesters, but he did not do so with violence, and most of the restrictions were set by his subordinates. During his rule, Iran lowered its unemployment rates and increased its wealth. Ahmadinejad used a large portion of the oil wealth to create funding for the Iranian youth to join society's expensive traditions. He was worried due to the increasing ages of young citizens buying homes and marrying. He pushed to lower the ages required along with the monetary support.
Islamic Fundamentalism and Its Effects on Iranian Women and Youth
Iran began its involvement with Islamic fundamentalism with Ruhollah Khomeini. The most important law became Sharia, which had not previously been implemented. Women were forced to begin donning the hijab in 1979. The culture became dominated by religious leaders who changed the relative equality that existed in the country. President Ahmadinejad, in an effort to increase his country's population, legalized polygamy without the consent of previous wives, which lowered the social standing of Iranian women even more. More than sixty percent of Iranians are under the age of thirty, and the youth play a large role in society. The youth constantly protested throughout the years despite the change in government in 1979. A large problem that Iranian youth are dealing with is the high unemployment rate, but other problems include the restrictions set by Shariah. The separation of the genders has caused tension, and drug use is also a large problem in Iran. The hostage crisis from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981 was caused by large numbers of unemployed youth trying to make the United States turn over oil profits along with the Shah, who sought asylum in America. A woman cut the chains that closed the embassy gates, but after the 1979 revolution, women were given much fewer freedoms, and it is ironic that few of the students and young adults that were revolting knew how much freedom they would lose from the new fundamentalist government.